Daily Diamond: March 14, Dali Lama

David (Phoenix) created the topic: Daily Diamond: March 14, Dali Lama

"...who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat. " ~ Theodore Roosevelt

David (Phoenix) replied the topic: Daily Diamond: March 14, Dali Lama

This quote struck home with me when I saw it this morning, and after contemplation, I couldn't help but post it for the Daily Diamond.

How many times do we do this? I just worked a job where I worked 80 hour weeks, making only commission. In over 200 hours worth of work, I only made $360. That's it. But I was so focused on progression and the promise of the future, that I was ignoring the present and my health. I wasn't able to focus on working on things I love (like being here) and I was sacrificing my health to where the only way I functioned was taking two Benadryl at night and six Advil during the day.

Maybe your story isn't as extreme, but I caution you to look where maybe you are making sacrifices and ask yourself the benefit of the sacrifice. Where is your focus? Is it in the here and now? Are you pursuing the things you love? If not, why not? What actionable steps are you taking to correct that?

And most importantly, what did you get from the quote

"...who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat. " ~ Theodore Roosevelt

David (Phoenix) replied the topic: Daily Diamond: March 14, Dali Lama

I mean, we talked about this chain of events at dinner last night hahaha.

I stopped everything to make money> which lead to decrease health> which lead to me not making money so I could take care of my health> led to me being depressed > which has led to me being not present....so yea, its internalized lol. Now to choose something different.

"...who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat. " ~ Theodore Roosevelt

You see, if just all people would read and understand that! It had just been the other day that I, once again, received an e-mail from my father. Please, don't get me wrong, I'm very thankful for that he is concerned about me and my future but if he would just be able to understand that it finally is exactly that, my life and therefore my decisions and my way which I need to go. I will always have an ear for him and will listen to his thoughts and advice as often he has some good to give but ultimately it is me who needs to walk this walk and when thinking back to a not all too fare past, I had been exactly at the point which is somehow described by the quote from the Dalai Lama and those of you who read my PTD at that time will perfectly understand where I had been and what I went through.

Right now my steps for correcting this and getting back on the track of what I do feel is meant my life to be had been to seriously study about Feng Shui, taking a year off from work and now when I'm soon be back to my old job slowly but steadily make my progression from being an employee to being self-employed as a Feng Shui Consultant and who knows what the future does hold for me but I now fully understand that working for this company or better said in this kind of "relationship" doesn't work for me.

Jax replied the topic: Daily Diamond: March 14, Dali Lama

It's hard for many people to see a different way in life. And it's hard for parents who think they are watching their kids make bad decisions - even when their kids are mature adults. lol We're in the same boat right now. I'm trying to setup businesses to transition out of my job as well in the next year or so.

Connor replied the topic: Daily Diamond: March 14, Dali Lama

Oy. My mom's in for a rude awakening when I graduate from college and get a job that doesn't pay 6 million dollars. She has this very fixed idea of "you need to get a career oriented job". While I agree that it would be nice to have security later in life, a career limits adventure which is something I sorely need and desire.

My parents are gonna have to deal. They won't like it, but luckily I've trained long enough to respect their decision and make a different one. ahha.

This one came to me when I was was in a particularly bad place with Depression and Anxiety and the job I was working. I realized that while I still spend a whole lot of money trying to get my health back, I can take steps to do lessen the physical illness and just deal with the mental ones (which is something out of my control to a large extent).

I totally struggle with this still, despite being aware of it. Society makes it so easy to fall into this pattern....so many things to do to "get ahead"- or in many cases just to make enough to pay the bills. So many distractions when you are not working-social media, Netflix, games on the phones and tablets. So easy to lose track of the important things and to not actually live.

Kol Drake replied the topic: Daily Diamond: March 14, Dali Lama

This brings to mind something I read back in the 70s -- I can not remember the source though "Operating Manual for Spaceship Earth" by R. Buckminster Fuller may be the one...

He was addressing where the 'urge' to specialize came from -- especially since most ancient and near modern discoveries seem to come for those who were learned in a variety of subjects... in a nutshell: The Great Pirate concept is explained in depth, and the source of their power is that they are the only masters of global information in a time where people are focused locally. Specifically, the Great Pirates are aware that resources are not evenly distributed around the world, so that items which are abundant in one area are scarce in another. This gives rise to trade which the Great Pirates exploit for their own advantage.

Power struggles for waterways ensue, requiring people like Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo to design better defenses for the Great Pirates. The Pirates establish governments in various areas and support leaders who will defend their trade routes.

As engineers become involved with the Great Pirates many new concepts appear, but the main one was of the Navy. As the size of the people in the Great Pirates' employment grow, training becomes a necessity, and the beginnings of schools and colleges ensue. Monarchs are encouraged to develop civil service systems to provide secure but specialized employment for their brightest subjects, which prevents them from competing with the Great Pirates in their lucrative global trading. Thus the Great Pirates guarded the advantages that their unique global perspective revealed.

***
The concept of 'keeping the populace ignorant and busy' was how the fiefdoms kept the general populace in check. When they had to work from before dawn to after dusk to barely survive, they had little time to worry about anything else. Survival trumped plotting against the royalty. When the middle class (artisans) came about, some few were thinking -- which is always dangerous. So, they sent them off exploring and/or created schools and universities -- to direct their thinking into 'safe' avenues -- again, making certain the royals held power and all else were 'too busy to revolt'.

How much different is that today?
We are born into whatever social structure our parents are in. We grow and enter into state / government sponsored schooling.... which teaches very little about living and life and barely the essentials of how to count and communicate. Useful skills of art / creation are downplayed or eliminated while being an athlete is seen as the highest honor. (an athlete in only a few revered sports at that...) Whether one stops at high school or goes on to 'higher learning' -- it soon becomes apparent that 'learning' does not mean steady work or happiness. It means being shuffled into every constricted choices of work / environment... again, leaving one to worry more about their next meal, their next paycheck -- the 'basic necessities'. Those who grab 'more than the basics' are soon in the 'rat race' but also into the allure of 'being connected' -- constantly with their nose at their computer or cell computer screen -- texting, app-ing, talking, checking, swipeing, watching videos and movies... removed further and further from human to human interactions.

How better to keep entire millions of the populace 'busy' so they can't rise up and disturb the 'royals' of today -- those 1% who control / own 90% of everything? If you are worried about keeping a job / your home / your family together -- you aren't spending time taking 'away' from the 1%. If you are never interacting with 'real people', you can't create movements to protest 'the system'. If you are so involved with 'self gratification', you never see the need of those around you.

Perhaps that is the 'way of the world'... to lose focus until the system falls and it all ends up in the dumpster before building itself back up.
Then again, perhaps there are better ways to spend one's time and effort than making certain we reached the latest 'app' goal on Farmville.